Centre Donkin set to start for Wharfedale (From Craven Herald)

Centre Donkin set to start for Wharfedale

11:03pm Wednesday 12th September 2012 in Wharfedale

Until last week when they lost narrowly at Esher, Wharfedale ’s next hosts Blackheath had recorded 12-successive bonus-point wins since losing at Wharfedale last January.

That was good enough to put them into third place in the final league table, their best finish in the eight seasons since their promotion in 2004-5.

Blackheath’s close-season coup was the signing from Cinderford of fly-half Rory Teague, reportedly in the face of competition from Champion-ship clubs.

Last season Teague logged 254 points, and has already scored 35 points for his new club, thanks mainly to Black-heath’s eight-try drubbing of Loughborough Students.

Blackheath are a talented side all over the pitch, but one man to watch for is wing-forward Dave Allen, whose tally of 25 tries last season eclipsed even Dan Solomi.

The Wharfedale selectors have promoted Joe Donkin to the starting line-up and, with the luxury of England Sevens star Aaron Myers once again being available and on the bench, go with just the one backs replacement, the versatile Will Bell.

Wharfedale: Christian Georgiou; Nick Taylor, Joe Donkin, Andy Hodgson, Simon Horsfall; Luke Gray, James Gough; Chris Steel, Steve Graham, Adam Howard, Richard Brown, Richard Rhodes, Alastair Allen, James Tyson, Rob Baldwin.